Lady Vader
by TangaloorFirefoot
Summary: AU story where Darth Vader raises Leia. Reviews are nice. Keep 'em coming. :)
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimers: Characters do not belong to me. They do belong to George Lucas so please please please don't sue.   
Rating:  
Summary: What if Vader had raised Leia?  
  
  
  
Lady Vader  
  
Prologue  
Padme Amidala screamed aloud. The sweat that had been beading on her forehead for the past eighteen hours coursed down her face in thick, steady currents. She clutched Obi Wan Kenobi's hand tightly between both of her own.  
"Breath, Padme," the Jedi whispered, gently wiping her face with a cloth provided to him "You can do this."  
"I can't!" Padme gasped, then shrieked as another spasm of pain ripped through her abdomen. "How much longer?"  
"Not long now," the doctor told her soothingly. "I need you to push now, milady."  
Grunting, Padme squeezed her eyes shut as she pushed with all her strength. As the pain worsened, her grip on Obi Wan's hand tightened. He bore the pain easily, barely even flinching.  
"Tell me, Padme, what are their names?" he asked her, trying to distract her from the pain. "What are you going to name your little boy and girl?"  
"Luke," Padme hissed from clenched teeth. "Luke and Leia Skywalker."  
"Very good," Obi Wan approved. "Push again, Padme, push again. It's almost over."  
Screaming, Padme gave a final push. Shortly after, the thin scream of a baby filled the room.  
"It's a girl!" the doctor cried. He passed the infant on to a waiting nurse and returned his attentions to the other baby forcing his way out. "A couple more pushes, milady, and it will all be over."  
Padme pushed, never relinquishing her deathgrip on Obi Wan's hand. "Anakin!"  
Everyone in the room flinched slightly as the woman called out desperately for her husband without even realizing what she said. Then the girl child's cries were joined by another, and the doctor held the second baby up triumphantly.  
"It is a boy," he said satisfied.   
Padme gasped for breath, finally releasing Obi Wan's hand. As she watched the doctor clean her babies, she slipped into much needed sleep.  
*****  
*****  
Padme looked at Obi Wan miserably, clutching her children to her sides.   
"So soon?" she asked weakly. "They're all I have left."  
"We cannot risk Ana--Vader finding them," the Jedi insisted, his voice dripping with sorrow. "Already he has come too close. They will be safe. I promise you that."  
"I know," the mother whispered. "I know. Oh, Obi Wan! My sweet little twins."  
"I am sorry," Obi Wan said quietly. "Do you know where they are going?"  
"Leia to Bail Organa on Alderaan and Luke to Beru and Owen Lars on Tatooine," Padme answered miserably. "May I have a moment with them? Please?"  
"Of course you may." The Jedi left the room quietly. Padme sat her children down on the couch. Immediately, Leia reached two little arms up and wrapped them around her mother's neck. Sobbing, Padme hugged the girl close.   
"My darling," she whispered brokenly. "You always know when Mommy feels bad, don't you? Already so strong, and no one even knows."  
Leia smiled into her mother's neck, making those sweet gurgles only babies can make. Gently, Padme set her back on the couch. Leia whimpered but obliged this time. Padme dropped to her knees to look the twins in the eyes.   
"You've got to go away now," she told them, somehow confident that at least Leia understood her words. The two regarded her seriously as she continued. "But don't worry. You'll be safe. And you'll see each other again someday; I'm sure of it. Be brave, my miracles. I love you so much."  
She kissed them both, barely holding her tears in check. Then she picked them up and took them to Obi Wan.   
"I'm ready now," she said, handing him Leia, then Luke. "Be safe, my friend."  
"We shall," Obi Wan promised. Padme kissed them both one more time. Finally, Obi Wan began to walk away. Leia began to scream instantly, holding her arms out over Obi Wan's shoulders, reaching toward her mother. Luke, becoming distressed both from his sister's tears and the fact that his mother was getting farther and farther away, also began to scream.   
"Mommeeeeeeee!" Leia suddenly shrieked, and Padme's hands flew to her mouth as she began to sob violently. Leia's first word!   
"Oh, my babies," she murmmered through her tears.  
Soon, they were gone.  
*****  
*****  
Obi Wan looked at the screaming children sadly, unable to stop their tears.Leia kept crying "Mommie!" over and over, and Obi Wan's heart broke with every wail. He tried to soothe them as best he could. When that didn't work, he juggled several decorative balls with the Force, usually a trick that sent them both into gales of laughter. Neither of them stopped crying. Finally, Obi Wan sat back dejectedly and let them cry. He was having trouble holding back his own tears.  
Finally, as they neared the spaceport where two ships were awaiting them, Leia stopped crying. Several seconds later, after noticing his sister no longer wailing, Luke also became quiet. Obi Wan smiled at the little girl.  
"You understand, don't you?" he asked her. She regarded him with her big brown eyes, not making any noises. Obi Wan sighed. "Already you block your power. So young and so powerful. Both of you. It is better this way."  
He picked them up and took them to their ships.  
*****  
*****  
Darth Vader entered the ship to Alderaan behind two of his guards. He was still in a kind of shock. He was a father! It seemed unreal to him.   
"Find the child," he ordered the guards. "Kill everyone else, but bring the child to me."  
The two men nodded and rushed off, while Vader reached out with the Force, searching for his daughter. He found her easily--the Force coursed through her as it did he himself. He smiled to himself. She was strong--so strong.   
"You may not have her."  
Vader turned slowly, regarding the Jedi calmly. Of course Obi Wan would not send the daughter of Darth Vader off alone. What surprised him was that the guard was not Obi Wan himself.   
"I do not believe you have a voice in the matter," he told the Jedi mockingly. He raised a hand and closed it, effectively crushing the man's neck with the Force. As the body dropped, he laughed.  
"So weak," he murmered, almost awed. This dead Jedi was the complete opposite of he and his daughter.  
"Lord Vader. We have her."  
"Give her to me," he commanded, not turning. The guards pushed the dead Jedi away from them and handed the baby over. She instantly began to scream and kick.  
"So strong," he said wonderingly. "So very strong. What is your name, little one?"  
As soon as he asked the question, the answer came. Leia. His daughter's name was Leia. As gently as he could with his machine arms, he held the screaming girl next to his chest.  
"My Leia," he whispered. His Leia, his daughter, all he had left of Padme Amidala. Ignoring Leia's shrieks, he exited the ship and set course for Corscant. 


	2. Chapter One

Note: Oh my god! WOW! I can't believe the reviews I'm getting! I'm so glad you like it. This is my first fic, so all the positive feedback is really encouraging. Thank you SO much.  
  
Oh, there was some confusion as to when, exactly, Leia began to talk. When Obi Wan took them away, they were about a year old by then. Sorry if I confused you. Also, you should know that I've never read any of the books. So even though I'm using Mara Jade (and maybe other characters in later chapters), I'm not quite sure what she should be like. I just thought it would be nice to have more familiar faces in the story.  
  
This chapter is really just to introduce you to the kind of woman I think Leia would have turned out to be if she had been raised by Vader. Of course the Emperor sank his teeth into her as soon as he sensed her power and turned her into an assassin. She's about 17 at the beginning of this chapter.  
  
  
Chapter One  
  
Leia Skywalker stared at the data pad in her hand, nearly screaming in frustration at the name there in big, bold letters. Kantra. How boring! Kantra was such a small, out of the way planet where people still relied on wheels to get around! She groaned.  
  
"Why me?" she asked her companion, Mara Jade, miserably. "Why am I always sent to the planets in the middle of nowhere? Even Tatooine is preferable to Kantra!"  
  
"Kantra?" Mara smirked, supressing a laugh. "What the hell is important on Kantra?"  
  
"A traitor, what else? Apparently, some fool of an Imperial who is certainly not worth anything in the grand scheme of things otherwise has managed to worm his way to a position of importance in the Rebellion and now I have to take care of him," Leia threw the data pad away from her, watching with no satisfaction as it bounced across the floor. "I just got home. All I want to do is sleep."  
  
Mara tried to look sympathetic, but failed tremendously. Leia just crossed her arms and glared at the other girl. She really had just gotten back! She had been with her father, Darth Vader, overseeing the construction of some new land runner thing (Leia wasn't quite sure about the details--the thing had no weapons as of yet and she wasn't interested in anything without weapons). She hadn't slept in her own bed in months and she really had been looking forward to it. But as soon as she had stepped off her transport, someone had shoved a data pad in her face, told her it was from the Emperor, and ran off before she could blink. Sighing, she stood.  
  
"Well, I guess it's off to Kantra with my sorry ass," she muttered, scooping the data pad up and jumping into her speeder. Casting another glare at the pad, she shoved her way into the evening traffic and began sifting through the deatails of her mission.  
  
"I hate Kantra."  
  
*****  
*****  
  
"Leaving so soon?"  
  
Leia turned briefly, looking over her shoulder at her father, who had entered her room silently and was regarding the small bag she had packed with a few of her belonging. Even though she could not see his face through his black mask--indeed, she wasn't sure he even had a face anymore--she was able to pick up the mocking tone through his labored, mechanic breathing. Sighing, she turned back to her mirror and continued to darken her eyes.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"Kantra," the young assassin said quietly. "After some Imperial turned Rebel called Rydell. Do you know him?"  
  
"No," Vader shook his head. "But more importantly, do you?"  
  
"Of course. I know everything from his grandmother's maiden name to his shoe size." Of course, that also meant she knew that the good man Rydell had a bad habit of stepping out on his wife to lay with any pretty boy or girl who offered themselves to him. Which was why she was dressing as a common whore.  
  
"Good," Vader nodded, pleased. After a few more moments of watching his daughter apply much too much make-up, he stood to go. "May the Force be with you."  
  
She laughed harshly, smearing bright red lip gloss across her lips with a brush. She watched her father's reflection retreating in the mirror, then rolled her eyes.  
  
"Screw the Force," she muttered darkly.  
  
*****  
*****  
  
By the time Leia burst out of hyperspace above Kantra, she had already been able to touch Rydell using the Force and was sure of where she wanted to make her move. As quickly as she could, she guided her ship into the atmosphere, then to the spaceport closest to her chosen destination. Handing the collector droid there enough credits to keep her ship there for several days, she left for the local bar.   
  
It was, like all bars, dark, loud, and full of every kind of scum imaginable. Silently fending off all unwanted advances by both genders and many different species, she made her way to the bar and sat on a stool.  
  
"What'll it be, missy?"  
  
Leia raised an eyebrow at the bartender, sizing him up. Finally, she placed several credits on the counter and smiled coyly.  
  
"Corellian whiskey," she commanded, ignoring his incredulous look. "And keep it coming."  
  
Two hours and nearly fifty shots later, Leia finally spotted her target coming through the door. Outwardly, she didn't react, but inwardly, she groaned. He didn't even look like a decent target. For one, he was old enough to be her father. His clothes were old and dirty, and he himself wasn't much better off. Killing him would almost be an insult to her skills. Thanking the bartender, she slipped off the stool, adjusted her black miniskirt, and made her way to Rydell's table.  
  
"Hey," she said, lowering her voice a couple octaves so it sounded husky and inviting. "Got enough room there for a girl like me?"  
  
"That depends," Rydell said, appraising her appreciatively. "What kind of girl are you?"  
  
"One you'll like, I think," she murmered, winking. "Dance with me?"  
  
She held out a hand and had to supress the urge to smack him as he ignored it and placed his hands on her waist. They made their way to the other dancers, moving slowly against one another. Immediately, Rydell sprang to life, and Leia could feel his throughts through the Force. Being only 17 herself, she was the perfect age to fulfill his fetish. Briefly, she caught a flash of another girl, just a year younger than Leia. Curling a lip in distaste, she realized that this other girl was Rydell's daughter. Disgusting pervert. She clutched him closer to her, grinding her hips into his.   
  
"What do you say we go somewhere private?" Rydell asked finally, cupping the back of her neck so she had to look him in the eye. Swallowing her revulsion, she managed a coy smile.  
  
"That's going to cost you," she informed him, knowing he liked having to pay for his pleasure. *He really is disgusting*, she thought.   
  
"Money is not a problem, my pet," he grinned lecherously.   
  
"Lead the way then," she purred, letting him pull her off the dance floor. They exited the bar through the back, just in case someone Rydell knew saw them and realized what he was about to do. Several blocks later, they stumbled into a tiny room, his hands groping her wildly. For a moment, Leia considered killing him right then and there. Then she paused as another thought struck her.   
  
*Eh, what the hell?* she asked herself. *Get some, get gone, right Leia?*  
  
Smiling, she pulled her shirt over her head and let him lead her to the bed.  
  
*****  
*****  
  
Leia stretched in Rydell's arms then got up and gathered her clothes. He watched her closely as she wriggled into them.   
  
"Money's on the table," he told her.   
  
"That's nice," she muttered, turning to face him. He made quite a sight, laying there in dirty sheets, her lipstick marking his body. She sighed. Now to complete the mission. How was she going to kill him without making it look suspicious?  
  
"What are you thinking, beautiful?" he asked.  
  
"Just...trying to decide how I should kill you," she said nonchalantly, not noticing how his eyes widened in shock and fright. She smiled at him. "You know, I think I've got it."  
  
Raising a hand, she squeezed with the Force as Vader often did to choke those who displeased him. Only instead of crushing his windpipe, she focused on his heart, slowing and finally stopping it's steady pumping. When he was dead, she left him sitting for a moment, then raised her hand and squeezed again. This time, blood filled his wide eyes and gushed from his ears and onto the grimy sheets as she forced it up into his brain. He was old. This wouldn't be suspicious at all; not when it was so obvious that he had been extremely...physically active. Smirking, she picked his pants up and took all his credits. She left the ones on the night stand where they were.  
  
"Thanks for the romp, Rydell," she said sweetly as she left. "Though I've got to say, not the best I've ever had."  
  
*****  
***** 


	3. Chapter Two

Sorry its been so long since I've updated. My Muses are quite fond of ignoring me for long periods of time. During that time, there's a lot of insults and curses flung back and forth, and the breakage of fragile objects, but it's all good now. Er...good in a "at least I'm writing words now" kind of way. So here's what you've all been waiting for: Chapter two! Let the reading and the reviewing commence!  
  
By the way, Princess, does Leia's lightsaber seem familiar? ;) I fully intend on making it a dual later on. Fun stuff, eh?  
  
  
  
Chapter Two  
  
Darth Vader looked down at the Alderaanian Senator Bail Organa, silently gauging the man's fear. He was terrified, Vader was pleased to find, but still determined to keep his mouth shut. He wasn't going to give away the location of the Rebel base for anything.  
  
"Do you realize what I will do to you if I find you uncooperative?" he asked Bail nonchalantly, turning away to face the stars outside. "I assure you, the Death Star is well equiped in modern methods of persuasion."  
  
"No doubt it is," Bail said dryly, licking his lips and trying to avoid resting his gaze on the dark lord. "But I am telling the truth when I say that I don't know where the Rebel base is. I am a member of the Imperial Senate! You have made a terrible mistake."  
  
Vader laughed, a harsh, grating sound that hurt Bail's ears. "I do not believe I have, Senator. But perhaps you just need a little push in the right direction."  
  
Bail's blood ran cold. Vader could mean...well, anything by that seemingly harmless statement. Anything from civilized negotiations to extreme torture. Images of gleaming metal tools and needles danced through his mind. Vader sifted through those thoughts, satisfied with the reaction he was recieving. It almost made him sad to think that he'd be saving those toys for later. But right now, he had other plans. He turned to one of the Stormtroopers near by.  
  
"Fetch the Lady Vader," he commanded, deliberately using his daughter's 'official' title rather than her name. Because he did not publically acknowledge Leia as his daughter, she lived in the shadows as a menacing ghost-like representative of terror and pain. Women used her name as a warning to children who misbehaved. Some even thought it would be less painful to displease the Emperor himself rather than Lady Vader. Lord Vader was quite pleased with the image she had formed for herself.  
  
Bail, however, was not quite so excited. Lady Vader was something of a fairy tale among the Rebels. There were stories, of course, of her brutal methods of murder. Most believed that she did not actually exist and that the stories had been spread by the Empire to discourage the uprising of the Rebellion and the turning of Imperials. There had been sightings of a mysterious woman, always dressed in black with a black veil over her face, that accompynied Vader to public events. But for the most part, Lady Vader was believed to be the Emperor playing on the fears of the common folk. Apparently, that was not so.  
  
They waited in silence for nearly ten minutes before the Stormtrooper came back. Stepping in behind him came a young woman, tall and shapely. She was dressed entirely in black, with a lightsaber, prevalant among other just as menacing weapons, strapped to her belt. Across her face, attached behind her ears near her thick brown braids, was a black veil that revealed only her big, chocolate brown eyes and the bridge of her nose. She knelt down on one knee, facing Vader and bowed her head respectively.  
  
"Yes, Father?" she asked in a voice surprisingly rich and velvety. Bail's heart plummeted to the bottom of his stomach. His breath caught in his lungs--it couldn't be! Not sweet Padme's daughter! The one he was supposed to adopt! Not Leia, that happy baby he had bounced on his knee in his palace on Alderaan. They had all assumed that when she was a baby and on her voyage to Alderaan her transport had crashed and that she had died. This was...so much worse than that.  
  
"Take your veil off, my daughter," Vader commanded. "Let Senator Organa of Alderaan see your beautiful face."  
  
Obediently, Leia stood. Facing the Senator, who watched despite the bile that risen in his throat, she slowly removed one of the straps behind her ears and let the veil drape down, hanging from the other ear to her shoulder. She really was beautiful, Bail realized. But of course she was. She was Padme Amidala's daughter. Bail had never known a more beautiful woman than she. He had been honored when she asked him to foster Leia, and heartbroken when the child had 'died' mere months before her mother.  
  
"What have you done to her?" he managed to rasp out, not able to rip his eyes away from Leia's cold, heartless stare.  
  
"What is he talking about, Father?" Leia asked, turning her gaze to Vader. She knew of Senator Organa, of course, but she had never met him. Frankly, he didn't impress her very much.  
  
"Nothing you should concern yourself with, my dear," Vader dismissed. "I have a very important mission for you. One that cannot be trusted into anyone's hands but yours. Are you willing?"  
  
"Of course," Leia agreed. Then her tone relaxed a bit and she allowed herself a small smirk. "After that hideous Rydell on Kantra, I'm ready for anything respectable."  
  
Bail choked, his eyes widening. He remembered the uproar Rydell's death had caused--not only because he was an important member of the Rebel Alliance, but also because he had been found in a small room near a bar on Kantra, stiff in a bed he had shared with a woman who was not his wife. Obviously, Leia had been that woman. *But she's only 17!* Bail's mind screamed.  
  
"The good Senator has managed to implant the technical readouts to this very station in a droid that jetisoned to Tatooine before we could capture it," Vader explained. "There are Stormtroopers on the planet's surface looking, naturally, but both the Emperor and I agree that this mission is more suitable for your capable hands."  
  
"I shall leave for Tatooine at once," Leia agreed. "And I'll kill anyone who gets in my way."  
  
"No!" Bail yelled, suddenly unable to bear the sight of Padme's daughter accepting such a mission. "Leia, listen to me! This is not what your mother wanted of you! This is everything she fought to stop! It was she who began the Rebel Alliance, and it was she who--"  
  
Leia's hand whipped out and struck him backhanded across the jaw. Blood from a tooth that fell to the ground spurted forth and dotted several of the Stormtroopers' white uniforms. Leia took Bail by the collar and lifted him off the ground with his back to the wall.  
  
"Shut up, old man," she growled, her mouth twisting into a sneer. "And should you ever see me again, you will not refer to me so informally. I am Lady Vader to you, Rebel scum, and don't you ever forget it."  
  
She dropped the stunned man, letting him hit the floor with a thump. Quickly, she replaced her veil and turned to her father.   
  
"I will leave now," she said, dropping to her knee and then rising gracefully. Darth Vader returned the bow. Without another look to the Senator on the floor, she strode out of the room.  
  
"Miserable old fool," Vader hissed at Bail, watching him stand. "Guards, take him to the detention block and begin interrogation."  
  
*****  
*****  
  
"Luke, get up."  
  
Luke Skywalker groaned, fluttering his eyes open. Briefly, he wondered why he was on the ground and who was talking to him. Then he felt a strong hand take his arm and pull him up. He stumbled to his feet, holding his aching head.  
  
"What happened?" he asked. "Who are you?"  
  
"Sand people," the voice said urgently. "We must go before they come back. Come, Luke."  
  
Luke frowned, looking up at the man who was speaking to him. What was he doing out in the desert with Old Ben Kenobi?  
  
"The droids!" he cried suddenly.  
  
"Don't worry about them,'' Ben reassured. "They're both all right, with the exception of the gold one's missing arm."  
  
"No, you don't understand," Luke tried to explain. "That R2 unit there claims to be the property of an Obi Wan Kenobi. Is he a relative of yours?"  
  
The old man was silent for a moment as he regarded the blue-domed droid thoughtfully. Finally, a secretive smile spread across his face as though he recognized the droid.  
  
"Obi Wan Kenobi," he repeated. "Now that is a name I haven't heard in a very long time."  
  
"So you know him then?" Luke asked hopefully.  
  
"Know him? Oh yes, I know him." Old Ben laughed. "I am him! Although I can't say I've ever owned a droid. Especially not this particular droid."  
  
"He's carrying a message for you,'' Luke said. "From a man. It sounds like he might be in trouble."  
  
Obi Wan lifted an eyebrow at the boy, smiling patiently at him. How good it was to be able to talk with Luke. After so many years of watching from a distance, it was a relief to finally be able to exchange words.   
  
"Well, all right," he agreed. "Let's get to safety so I can see this message for myself."  
  
Hearing the calling of distant banthas, Luke agreed whole-heartedly.  
  
*****  
*****  
  
"But what would Imperials want with a bunch of Jawas?" Luke asked looking at the wrecked barge ship and the mounds of Jawa bodies. He couldn't understand it.  
  
"They were obviously looking for this R2 unit," Ben replied, avoiding Luke's eye. "What he carries is very important to the Empire."  
  
"Yeah, but if they were looking for our droid, that would have lead them to..." Luke trailed off as realization hit. Not bothering to finish his sentence, he jumped into his speeder. "Come on! We've got to get home!"  
  
"It's too dangerous, Luke," Obi Wan protested. "We had best wait a while."  
  
"But they could be in trouble!" Luke yelled, starting the machine. Realizing that Luke was going with or without him, Obi Wan hurried into the speeder himself, making sure the droids were safely tucked away behind him. Luke sped off, ignoring the wind and sand in his face. All that mattered to him was getting home as fast as possible.  
  
As he neared closer to his home, billows of black smoke could be seen. Panicked, he pushed the speeder faster then stopped harshly and suddenly near the dome shaped entrance. Jumping out, he ran toward it.  
  
"Uncle Owen!" he yelled. "Aunt Beru!"  
  
"Luke."  
  
Luke froze at the sound of the old man's voice. He shook his head, knowing what he would find if he turned around.  
  
"Luke, you must turn around."  
  
Again, Luke shook his head, but he found himself obliging. Bracing himself as best as he could, he turned slowly and looked at the bodies of his aunt and uncle. They were lying face down in the dust, hands outstretched as if reaching for safety. There were no blaster wounds.  
  
"You couldn't have done anything," Obi Wan told him gently. "You would have been killed too."  
  
Luke didn't reply. Instead, he kept his gaze on the blue robe Beru was wearing and not the terrified look in her eyes. Finally, he faced Obi Wan. "I want to go with you. I want to go to Alderaan. I want to help the Rebels."  
  
Obi Wan nodded approvingly. "Then let us bury your family."  
  
Silently, Luke nodded. He began his work immediately, and eventually Artoo and Threepio came to his assistance. Obi Wan, however, stood his ground and reached out with the Force. If he could just find out how they were killed, and by who...  
  
Then it hit him. Like a herd of bantha running downhill, the calling card slammed into his chest and left him without breath. The one who had killed these two was powerful in the Force, and very cocky. She left her mark, her 'scent' almost, there for any with the proper knowledge to find. Lady Vader. The twin of the very boy who buried the bodies she had left behind. Leia Skywalker.   
  
With a heavy heart, Obi Wan began to help prepare the bodies.  
  
*I will save you,* he promised silently. *I will save you from yourself and reunite you with your brother.*  
  
*****  
*****  
  
Leia slipped into the seat of a booth at the back of the cantina, quite close to the one the Wookiee's companion was sitting in. She leaned back against the wall and easily picked out her targets: the boy called Luke and the Jedi known as Obi Wan Kenobi.  
  
Leia could not express in words how pleased she was that it was Kenobi who was in possesion of the bothersome droids. The face was not familiar, but the name certainly was. From Leia's earliest memories, her father had always told her it was Obi Wan Kenobi who had killed her mother, a firm supporter of the Empire, in cold blood. She had always known, with an instict that went far beyond the Force, that had she been raised with a mother, things would have been quite different for her. She hated having been denied the simple pleasure of a mother, and she hated the man who had taken that away from her. She also knew that her father harbored a deep hatred for the old Jedi as well, and she would be handsomely rewarded for his capture.   
  
As the Wookiee, Chewbacca, led Obi Wan and Luke over to his companion's table, Leia dipped her head over the bottle she was nursing and tuned in to the conversation.  
  
"Chewie here tells me you're looking for passage to Alderaan," the captain, Han Solo, said, disinterested.  
  
"Yes, indeed," Obi Wan agreed. "If its a fast ship."  
  
"Fast ship?" Han demanded, wounded. "You've never heard of the Millineum Falcon?"  
  
*Not many people have, fly boy.* Leia thought, taking another sip of her drink. But she had to admit that the Falcon was a fast ship. She'd heard of Solo before--he and his Wookiee pal were both Imperial deserters. Shaking her head, Leia focused her attention once again to the bargain being made.  
  
"What's the cargo?" Han asked.  
  
"Only passengers," Obi Wan said dismissively. "Myself, the boy, two droids, and no questions asked."  
  
Han snorted. "What is it? Some kind of local trouble?"  
  
"Let's just say...we'd like to avoid any Imperial entaglements."  
  
Han thumped the table triumphantly. "Well, that's the trick, isn't it? And it's gonna cost you something extra. Ten thousand in advance."  
  
"Ten thousand?" Luke whined suddenly, outraged. Leia cringed--the kid's voice really grated her ears. "We could almost buy our own ship for that!"  
  
"Yeah, but who's gonna fly it, kid? You?" Han laughed derisively.  
  
"You bet I could!" Luke defended himself. "I'm not such a bad pilot myself! We don't have to sit here and listen--"  
  
"We haven't that much with us," Obi Wan interrupted the boy before he really got them into trouble. "We'll pay you two thousand now, and fifteen when we reach Alderaan."  
  
"Seventeen, huh?" Han asked, pleased. "Ok. You guys got yourself a ship. We'll leave whenever you're ready. Docking bay ninety-four."  
  
"Ninety-four," Obi Wan repeated. He thanked the smuggler, stood, and led the boy, still complaining, out of the cantina. Leia grinned and got up herself. She gave Han a thoughtful glance, smirking to herself. *No Imperial entaglements, eh? That'll be especially difficult with Lady Vader stowing away on your precious ship.*  
  
"Off to docking bay ninety-four," she murmered, shoving her way through the crowded bar. A green skinned alien stopped her by the door, asking something in a language Leia didn't recognize at first. Applying a little Force pressure, she pulled the meaning out of his head.   
  
"Han Solo?" she grinned, pointing to the back of the cantina. "He's over there."  
  
The bounty hunter thanked her eagerly, then rushed to the smuggler's table. Leia waited by the door for a few moments. When she heard the blaster go off, then Han's voice cockily apologizing for the mess, Leia tipped her head back and laughed all the way to the docking bay.  
  
*****  
*****  
  
Vader watched the droid leave the Senator's detention cell.   
  
"Well?" he asked the Stormtrooper that closed the door behind him. "What has he said?"  
  
"Not a thing, Sir," the Trooper said nervously. "He has maintained considerable resistance of the mind probe."  
  
Vader sighed heavily, a sound that made the Trooper cringe. Tentatively, the soldier began a slow walk away from the Senator's cell--and from Darth Vader. Vader paid him no mind; instead, he reached out a tendril of Force power and contacted his daughter.  
  
*Yes, Father?* Leia's voice asked inside his head.  
  
*Have you gotten the droids?*  
  
*Yes, Father,* Leia said. *I am stowed aboard a smuggler's ship, the Millineum Falcon. Father, the droids are in the possesion of Obi Wan Kenobi. We are on course to Alderaan.*  
  
Vader visibly convulsed as Leia mentioned his former master's name. Even now, so many years after the Jedi's betrayal, that name still sent him into a rage. *Good work, my daughter. We have positioned the Death Star just above Alderaan. I have decided to...use alternative methods of persuasion on the Senator.*  
  
*You don't mean...?* Leia trailed off incredulously. *Oh, won't you wait till I get there to watch? We'll be out of hyperspace shortly.*  
  
*As you wish, my dear,* Vader chuckled mentally, breaking contact with the young assassin. Oh, but he was proud of that girl! She was more eager to see the Death Star in action than he himself was.   
  
His mood suddenly lifted, Vader stalked off to suggest a different course of action.  
  
*****  
*****  
  
Concealed in one of the Falcon's hidden compartments, Leia Skywalker felt everything that happened on the ship. She felt Obi Wan teaching Luke how to use the Force; she nearly laughed out loud. It was clear the old fool thought Luke was strong...strong enough to defeat Vader and overthrow the Emperor. So much the old man didn't know... Leia had to marvel at his ignorance.  
  
The ship convulsed as they came out of hyperspace. Leia frowned; the ship was a piece of junk, but not even she should have this much trouble coming out of hyperspace. What the hell was going on? Closing her eyes, the assassin reached out with her mind. The Death Star! The tractor was pulling them in.   
  
"Finally," she muttered under her breath, ignoring the disbelieving utterance of "That's no moon, its a space station!" that came from above. Instead, she pushed up on the floor board above her head. She knew that the passengers of the ship would be using these compartments soon. Silently, she replaced the panel and padded down the corridor. Eventually, she settled on a hiding place in the ships main cabid, closest to the exit. Several minutes later, Han and Chewie thundered past, both of them cursing a blue streak, followed closely by Obi Wan, Luke, and those damn troublesome droids. As soon as they were hidden in the compartments, the Falcon landed in the main hangar of the Death Star.  
  
In her mind's eye, Leia saw the line of Stormtroopers marching toward the ship. She heard the conversation between Tarkin and the nameless Trooper. Then her father's mechanical breathing, telling them that the droids should be aboard. Finally, the ramp was lowered, and Leia made her way unnoticed down it. Sighing in relief, she bid a temporary farewell to her unwilling shipmates and went in search of Vader and the Senator.  
  
*****  
*****  
  
The main control room of the Death Star was, to say the least, a huge disappointment. Leia had expected it to look a little more...well, dramatic. To her chagrin, it was much like the control rooms of the countless other battle stations she'd lived on in her short life. With a sigh of frustration, she whirled on an unsuspecting Stormtrooper and shoved him against the wall, squeezing his windpipe painfully.  
  
"Where is my Father?" she demanded in a low growl.  
  
"I--I--please--"   
  
"Please what?" Leia rolled her eyes. "It's a very simple question. You could answer it in five words even. I will ask it again, and if I don't get a satisfactory answer, I will break your neck. Do you understand me?"  
  
"Y--Yes," the choking soldier gasped out.  
  
"Where is my Father?"  
  
"B--bringing Sen-Senator Organa...please, Lady...l-l-let me go...."  
  
With a groan of impatience, Leia crushed the man's Adam apple between her fingers and let him drop to the floor. She kicked the body, yelling at the Trooper's suddenly silent companions.  
  
"Get this fool out of my sight before you all suffer his fate!" she screamed agnrily. "And someone tell me where my Father is!"  
  
"I am here, milady."  
  
Leia turned, mildly surprised that he had been able to sneak up on her. He hadn't been able to do that since she was four. Her surprise soon faded into expectant excitement as two Stormtroopers pulled Senator Organa in behind Vader.   
  
"I got impatient," she said innocently, batting her eyelashes. "He wouldn't answer me properly."  
  
"It's all right, my dear," Vader assured her, chuckling. He turned to the Stormtroopers. "Let him see where we are, then leave us. My daughter and I will take over interrogation."  
  
Leia watched with interest as the Troopers led the old man over to the viewing screen and then inched past her to get to the door. She followed their movements, smiling coyly at them as they left. Several seconds later, Governor Tarkin entered, looking somewhat displeased, then downright nervous as he realized he was in the presence of both Vaders.  
  
"I understand you want to test this battle station's capabilities," he said, his voice slightly   
condescending. "I didn't realize the Lady would be here as well."  
  
"And why shouldn't I be?" Leia demanded indignantly. "I'm present for all of our battle stations maiden missions. And this one should be exceptionally brilliant. Of course I want to witness it."  
  
"Governor Tarkin," the Senator suddenly spoke up, his voice thick with disgust. "I should have known I'd find you here. But I can assure you, I won't say a word."  
  
"We'll see about that," Tarkin grinned. He turned to Lady Vader. "Milady, would you like to do the honours?"  
  
"Thank you, Governor Tarkin," Leia's voice was loaded with fake sugar. Truth be told, she couldn't stand the wrinkled old man any more than Bail Organa could. She just hid it better. "You see, Senator, we want to know where your wretched Rebel base is...but I'm sure you knew that. You're wasting our valuable time, and frankly, I myself am becoming quite annoyed by your stuborn stupidity. What can I say? I'm not a very patient girl, Senator.  
  
"However, it gives me great pleasure to announce that in mere seconds, this battle station will become fully operational...unless, of course, you cooperate. In a way, you have determined the planet that will be destroyed first."  
  
She waved a hand and the screen before them lit up. Alderaan orbited below them, a peaceful planet made mostly of ocean.   
  
"Since you are so insistant on resisting our methods of persuasion, we've decided to destroy your home planet of Alderaan unless you give us the name of the planet the Rebel base is located on. Have I made myself clear, Senator? Give us the location and your planet will be spared."  
  
Senator Organa cast a weary glance at the girl he was supposed to have called his daughter, then down at his home. Finally, he raised his head and stared defiantly at the girl. She raised a shapely eyebrow at him.  
  
"No?" she asked. "Oh, I cannot tell you how pleased I am you responded that way. Power the weapons!"  
  
"No!" Bail yelled suddenly, lunging forward. "Alderaan is peaceful! We have no weapons!"  
  
"You would prefer another target?" Lord Vader asked. "Then tell us the location of the base! It is either the base or your planet."  
  
Bail remained silent for a second. Impatiently, Leia nodded to the man at the controls. A voice over the intercom link announced the charging of weapons and locked on to Alderaan. Bail lowered his head, ashamed at what he was about to do.  
  
"Dantooine," he said softly. "They're on Dantooine."  
  
Leia smiled sweetly. "See, Governor Tarkin? He can re reasonable."  
  
"Obviously," the man nodded. He turned to the controls. "Continue with the operation. You may fire when ready."  
  
"WHAT?" Bail yelled, whipping his head up in shock and outrage. Leia laughed at him.  
  
"Dantooine is too remote a planet to make a proper demonstration," she told him, her eyes riveted to the screen as the weapons came to full power.  
  
"NO!" The Senator flung himself at the controls, intent on stopping the operation. But Lord Vader grabbed him by the arms and held him steady. Leia reached over the controls.  
  
"May I?" she asked the hooded officer there. He nodded, quickly stepping away from the controls to allow Leia access. She smiled and pulled two of the levers. Three beams of green gathered at one point in the dome scooped out of the side of the station, just below the control room. Leia flipped another lever and the beam shot toward the small blue planet of Alderaan. There was a mightly explosion that rocked the entire station, and Alderaan dissappeared in a cloud of white. Slowly, the cloud settled as best it could in space, and all that was left of the planet were chunks smaller than the Death Star. Leia broke into a wild grin.  
  
"That was magnificent!" she cried. "Absolutely wonderful! Although I think we should position the station a little farther away from the planet next time. How far back are we?"  
  
She turned to the men in charge, losing herself in conversation with them. Vader watched proudly.  
  
"What did you do to her?" Bail whispered brokenly, still staring at his ruined home. "Her mother..."  
  
"Is dead and those who are dead are not concerned with today's happenings," Vader cut him off. He turned to the two Stormtroopers. "Take him to his cell to await his termination."  
  
The Troopers nodded and took the now compliant senator. They drug him out of the room. Finally, satisfied with the conclusions she had drawn with the officers, Leia turned to her father.  
  
"He lied, you know," she told him and Tarkin. "The only Rebel base on Dantooine has been evacuated for several years now."  
  
"He did what?" Tarkin demanded, incredulous. "He was willing to sacrifice his planet?!"  
  
"No," Leia shook her head. "He didn't think the Death Star was capable of such mass destruction. But that doesn't matter. The two droids containing the technical readouts to this station are somewhere aboard, and Obi Wan Kenobi is with them. Senator Organa is useless to us now. He should be terminated immediately. I will go retrieve the droids."  
  
Replacing the veil over her face, Leia turned and left the room, casting one last pleased glance at the remains of Alderaan.  
  
*****  
*****  
  
"Look!" Luke whispered suddenly, pointing. "The Senator!"  
  
Han, a head taller than the boy, looked down at him. Through the Stormtrooper's stupid helmet, he could hardly see a damn thing. Already this mission was more than he had bargained for! And where was that damn fool of an old man? Really, he was the only one Han was worried about. After all, that grey haired old man was the one who was going to get him out of debt!  
  
"Let me guess, kid, you want to go rescue him?"   
  
"Yes!" Luke cried. "He's the one who put the plans in Artoo! We can't leave without him!"  
  
"Kid, we can't leave at all unless the old man does his job without getting dead," Han muttered dryly. He grabbed a pulse rifle from the rack next to him. "But if you're gonna do this, I guess someone better watch your back. Can we hurry though? I want to leave soon."  
  
Luke grinned at the smuggler, also taking a rifle. He replaced his helmet, once again acutely aware that he was way too short to be a real Stormtrooper. Hopefully, no one would notice. Han clamped the manacles around Chewies wrists and they followed the same path the other Stormtroopers had taken Senator Organa.  
  
"This better be worth the money," Han said--right before blasting both Troopers and causing a very flustered Senator to fall to his knees.  
  
"Well great," Luke hissed. "Now the entire station knows we're here!"  
  
"So we get the Senator and high tail it for the Falcon!" Han yelled, helping the old man up. "You ok? Think you can run?"  
  
"Of course I can!" the Senator snapped. "I was doing just fine on my own anyway. Didn't need you blasting away."  
  
"Yeah," muttered Han. "You were doing real great. Just come on. Let's hope Old Ben did his job."  
  
The four of them made a mad dash in the general direction of the main hangar.  
  
*****  
*****  
  
Obi Wan stopped suddenly, lifting his head as if to taste the air. In fact, what he was doing was not far off from just that--he reached out with a tendril of the Force. Vaders! Both of them , close by. And the boy, with Han, Chewie, and Senator Organa, also close by. If he moved back just seven steps, he would be able to to see them crouching low, hiding. The two droids, once right above the rest of their group, were moving down to regroup with the others. He smiled in satisfaction, drawing his lightsaber.  
  
"I've been waiting for you, old man."  
  
Obi Wan ignited his lightsaber, turning to face his former student and friend. Darth Vader had his own lightsaber out and ignited. They both took up fighting stances.  
  
"It is too bad my daughter is not here for you to see," Vader taunted. "I am quite proud of her. Did you know she destroyed her first planet today? You must have sensed that."  
  
Obi Wan's eyes widened. So that was what had happened. That feeling as though millions of voices had...been silenced all at once. As though a blindfold had been placed over their lives. If Leia had truly done that...*Do not think like that!* he told himself sternly. *She will be saved. There is still time.*  
  
"Youre powers are weak, my master," Vader said, his tone heavy with disdain. Abruptly, he made a pass at the Jedi, who promptly blocked it. "But I see your skills with the lightsaber had not diminished. That is too bad, for mine have greatly improved."  
  
Vader launched into a series of attacks, each one coming right after the last, too fast to see. His saber, a red blur in the air, crackled each time it collided with Obi Wan's. Out of the corner of his eye, the Jedi could see Luke, Han, the Senator, and the Wookiee running for the ship. The droids were not far behind. He blocked another of Vader's blows.  
  
"Ben!" Luke suddenly screamed, noticing for the first time the battle taking place between learner and master. He stopped in his tracks, and that's when Obi Wan saw her.   
  
Leia darted out of her hiding place, her purple lightsaber ignited and ready to swing unhesitatingly down and through Luke's neck. Obi Wan's heart filled with dispair. *If only you had protected her better...* he thought briefly, his choice now clear. It was either him or the boy. If he lived, the boy would die. If the boy lived, Obi Wan would die. Closing his eyes, he concentrated all his power to himself. Lowering his lightsaber and retracting the blade, he let Vader strike him down. Blocking Luke's scream of denial out of his mind, he threw all the power he had left at the girl he had so long ago failed.   
  
"Save her!" he yelled to Luke. Luke ignored the cry, intent on helping his master. But before he could even draw his own lightsaber, Obi Wan Kenobi had vanished right out of his robes and before Vader could reach them, the doors between them closed tightly. He stared, oblivious to the blasters being fired around his head.  
  
"Luke!"  
  
He looked over toward the Falcon. Senator Organa was running toward him--no, past him! Luke followed his movements, watching in awe as he knelt behind a fallen girl, no older than Luke himself. She had a lightsaber clutched in one hand.   
  
"Where did she come from?" he cried, suddenly realizing that he had never seen her before. "Who is she?"  
  
"Never mind that, my boy," Bail dismissed. "Help me get her onto the ship. We'll take her to the base with us."  
  
Obediantly, Luke grabbed the girl's legs while Bail took her arms. As they lifted, the lightsaber stayed grasped in her left hand. Quickly, they carried her up the Falcon's ramp and seconds later, the ship burst out of the hangar. Seconds after that, the ship went into hyperspace.  
  
*****  
*****  
  
Darth Vader stared at the doors in quiet dismay. They had taken Leia with them to where ever that blasted Rebel base was. Slowly, he turned and looked at the discarded robes of his former master and father figure. Hatefully, he kicked them.  
  
"You took my wife, Obi Wan," he said softly to the pile of clothes. "You let her die. I will not let you have my daughter quite as easily. I will get her back."  
  
Angrily, Vader stomped away from the clothing, grabbing a Stormtrooper as he went.  
  
"Have someone dispose of everything in that pile," he told him. "And prepare my ship. I am returning to Coruscant."  
  
*****  
***** 


	4. Chapter Three

I'm so sorry for the wait I've put you all through. Besides the problems with the site, my life has kind of sucked the past few weeks. I was considering giving this story up completely. Then I came back and read all the wonderful reviews I got and decided to keep going. Again, I apologize for the wait. But here's what you've been waiting for: Chapter three. It's kinda slow and boring, but that'll change as soon as I get into the battle against the Death Star.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter Three  
  
Bail Organa sighed, watching the hurried bustle of the base with something akin to amusement. It had been only five standard days since the destruction of Alderaan, Obi Wan's death, his escape from the Death Star...and, of course, the abduction of Lady Leia Vader. Mere days that felt like thousands of years.   
  
Leia was still unconscious. She had lain in the same position in her bed in the med wing for all those five days, moving only when she was moved, fed through a tube that ran into her arm. The med droids came hourly, checking vitals, cleaning sheets, and giving shots. Bail, also, came hourly and sat by her bed, telling her stories of the life she would have led with him on Alderaan, and of her mother.  
  
However now, Bail Organa was somewhat tense. The technical readouts of the Death Star were, as of yet, no help at all. There was simply too much information. The former Senator was beginning to think all his efforts, the destruction of Alderaan, and everything else had been in vain.  
  
To top it off, he was on his way to the docking bay to meet Mon Mothma, due to arrive any moment. She already knew about the efforts being made to locate a weakness in the Death Star, of course, and that was what she was coming for. But what Bail was worried about was telling her, somehow, who lay in a coma in the medical wing, and just what she had become. Mon Mothma would be as heartbroken as he to see poor Padme's girl child so...dead to the worlds.  
  
As he approached Mon Mothma's designated docking bay, he saw that her small vessel had already landed and that the woman was making her way toward him, flocked by all kinds of men and women, asking to be of some assistance. Gracefully, she waved them all off and embraced the Senator.  
  
"Senator Organa," she crowed, placing her hand on his offered arm. "How are we doing with the readouts of the Death Star?"  
  
"Progress is slow," Bail told her nothing she didn't already know. "There's so much information, and the possibility of finding a weakness is nearly nonexistent."  
  
"We will find one," Mon Mothma said confidently. "This Death Star is no different than any other battle station. It *will* have a weakness."  
  
"With luck, you will be right," Bail bowed his head. "But, ma'am, there is something more important you must be aware of."  
  
"More important?" the woman laughed. "What could be more important than bringing an end to the Death Star?"  
  
"We have captured the Lady Vader."  
  
Mon Mothma stopped walking. She stared at Bail in open mouthed-shock, disbelief obvious in her eyes. Finally, she shook it away and resumed their walk. "The Lady Vader does not actually exist, Bail. She's just a tale made up by Palpatine."  
  
"No, ma'am. I have met her," Bail gulped. "She is the one who pulled the levers on Alderaan."  
  
"Oh, dear, I'm so sorry." Her voice was instantly sympathetic. She now regretted her flippant dismissal of the infamous woman's capture.  
  
"You didn't know," Bail shrugged. He took a deep breath. "But there is something you should know about her."  
  
"What is that?" Mon Mothma was curious to know. To learn that Lady Vader was real, was a true person, was morbidly fascinating. There were so many tales about her.   
  
"She is Vader's daughter." The words fell from his lips so quietly, Mon Mothma almost missed them.  
  
"Vader's dau--but that--it's impossible..." the woman trailed off, disbelieving. Finally, she voiced the question as best she could in such a state of shock. "Padme?"  
  
"Padme's daughter, yes," Bail nodded sadly. "She's been made an assassin."  
  
"You're sure?" Mon Mothma demanded. "You're sure it's her?"  
  
"Absolutely. She looks so much like her mother."  
  
"Where is she? I want to see her. How did you manage to capture her? Has she been harmed?"  
  
Bail smiled thinly at her impatient demands. "She's here, in the med bay. She hasn't been hurt physically. Mentally, we are not so sure."  
  
"What do you mean?" Mon Mothma's voice trembled with sudden trepidation. "What happened to her?"  
  
"I'm not quite sure how it worked," Bail admitted. "Luke tells me that Obi Wan Kenobi did it. That, as she was moving to attack Luke, Obi Wan attacked her mind with the Force. She passed out, which was when we brought her aboard the Falcon. She's been unconscious ever since."  
  
"Oh, dear," the woman moaned, running a hand through her hair. Then she looked up at Bail curiously. "Did you say Luke? They're *both* here?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am. Luke came with Obi Wan Kenobi, who was killed in battle with Vader."  
  
"Oh, *dear,*" Mon Mothma moaned again. "This could be very bad, Bail. With her training, who she was brought up by...well, she'd rather take her own life than remain here."  
  
"Let's hope the Emperor hasn't taught her that well," Bail said mournfully. "Come with me. I'll take you to her."  
  
Sucking in a breath, Mon Mothma made one of the hardest decisions of her life: she took Bail's hand.  
  
*****  
*****  
  
Leia moaned, carefully sitting up in her bed and placing a hand on her pounding head. *What the hell happened? Where am I?* She glanced around the room, soon clear on the fact that she was in a hospital somewhere. Her eyes fell on the boy sleeping in a chair next to her bed, his arm and head resting mere inches from where she had been sleeping previously.   
  
"Ugh, what a hangover," she muttered under her breath. "I really hope I didn't *sleep* with that twerp."  
  
Sighing, she reached over and pushed him rather unceremoniously off her bed and back into the chair. His hand hit the table next to him, knocking her lightsaber to the ground. It's clattering sent waves of throbbing pain from her head all the way down her spine. She cringed and squinted at the boy again. Why did he look so familiar?  
  
"Some place," she muttered. "Can't a girl get any pain killers around here? Where is here anyway?"  
  
Ignoring the herd of bantha stomping around in her head, she shut her eyes and tried to remember just what the last thing she had done was. She couldn't remember getting drunk enough to have a hangover. In fact, the last thing she remembered was her father raising his lightsaber, then her own flicking on in her hands... Suddenly, her eyes flew open and landed on the kid next to her bed. Luke! The droids...oh, gods, the Jedi!  
  
"Son of a bitch," she growled hatefully. "You've got to be kidding me. You've *got* to be fucking *kidding* me! I'm on a Rebel base!"  
  
Anger coursing through every vein in her body, she raised her hand and squeezed, intent on killing Luke (and everyone else on the base, for that matter) and getting the hell out of there! However, as her fingers came together and she pushed gently with her mind, nothing happened. She looked down at her hands, then at the still-breathing boy and growled.   
  
"No matter," she told herself unconvincingly. "You just have to get your bearings, Leia. Who knows how long you've been out?"  
  
Taking a deep breath and clearing her mind, she squeezed again, this time pushing a little harder with the Force. Again, nothing happened. Disbelief written in her eyes, she extended a hand to her lightsaber, still on the floor, and willed it to her. It didn't move. The only reaction she got was the herd of bantha in her head was suddenly stampeding. She moaned and cradled her face in her hands.  
  
"This is not happening," she muttered. "I haven't lost my power...not permanently. It'll come back... I hope. And until it does I'll just....stay....here."  
  
Her stomach rolled at the thought. Who knew how long it would be until her power came back? What if it never did? She was stuck on a Rebel base! Even worse, the droids were probably here too, being examined. Leia leaned over the side of the bed and began to throw up. The only way this could get any *worse* was if the kid--  
  
"Hey, you're awake!"  
  
--woke up. Groaning, Leia sat up and looked at him, wiping her mouth in distaste.  
  
"What are you doing here?" she asked coldly.  
  
He looked surprised. "I could be asking you the same question."  
  
"Not likely," Leia growled. "I'm not here willingly."  
  
"Oh...hadn't thought of that," Luke admitted sheepishly. "Well, my name is Luke. Luke Skywalker. Who're you?"  
  
Again, Leia's stomach flipped. Quickly, she leaned over and threw up again. Could this day get any *worse?* There was no way this was a coincidence. How common could the name Skywalker be anyway? And he was from Tatooine. Leia knew her father had grown up as a slave there, in Mos Eisley, before he had left to become a Jedi, and later a Sith lord. *I must be related to him. Now doesn't that beat all?*  
  
"You ok?" Luke asked, concerned. "Maybe I should get you a med droid."  
  
"No!" Leia cried forcefully enough to keep him from moving. "I'm fine. My name is Leia. Leia Va...uh, Vahlall."  
  
She smiled, trying to look friendly. She was pleased with the name she had thought of on such short notice.  
  
"That's pretty," the boy told her politely, smiling back at her.  
  
"Thanks," Leia replied. She was growing impatient. All she wanted was to be left alone. "Listen...I have a really bad headache...I'd kind of like to be alone."  
  
"Oh! Oh, of course. I'm sorry. I'll go now." He stood to leave, his foot brushing her lightsaber on the floor. He bent to pick it up, studying it curiously.   
  
"Surely you've seen a lightsaber before," she asked dryly, pointing to the one that hung on his belt. Luke blushed, setting the weapon down on the night table.  
  
"Of course I have," he covered quickly. "It's just...yours is different. The handle is longer. Was it poorly crafted?"  
  
Leia rolled her eyes in disbelief. She picked it up and extended a blade. "I crafted this myself, more carefully than yours was made. And mine is ten times more dangerous than yours."  
  
Smirking up and him, she flicked another toggle and watched as the other blade extended. For a moment, she admired the way the twin blades cast a purple glow on the white room. Then she swung the thing experimentally, taking comfort in the weapon that was an extension of her body. *At least I still have this.*  
  
Luke watched as she flicked both blades off and set it back on the table. Nervously, and suddenly properly frightened, Luke left the girl's room. He set off in search of Bail.  
  
*****  
*****  
  
Mon Mothma stared at the door, laughing a little nervously. She ran a quick hand through her short hair and glanced over at Bail.  
  
"I'm nervous," she admitted quitely.   
  
He nodded in agreement as the droid beside him let them into the room. As they went in, the machine informed them with a tinny voice that the patient was prone to becoming physically ill and violent toward visitors. Bail smiled thinly at Mon Mothma and shrugged. Taking simultaneous deep breaths, they faced the girl lying on the bed.  
  
She was reclining casually, her arms beneath her head as she stared demurely at the ceiling. Mon Mothma's breath caught in her throat. The girl did indeed look like her mother; the same thick hair, creamy skin color, height and slim form... even lying down, Leia possesed the same confident grace of Padme Amidala. The only difference were the eyes. While Padme's had been warm, liquid brown that always shone with emotion, Leia's were hard blocks of emotionless stone, boring into and breaking what ever she set her gaze on.  
  
"What do you want?" the girl asked harshly, breaking the tense silence. She sat up and swung her feet to the floor, casually reaching for her lightsaber.   
  
"We came to... talk," Bail said. "Do you know who we are?"  
  
"I know who you are, Senator," Leia muttered, rolling her eyes. "And I've got a sneaking suspicion I know who your girlfriend is, too."  
  
Ignoring the poor choice of words obviously used to rile them, Mon Mothma smiled a bit and bowed to the girl. "I am Mon Mothma. I was a friend of your mother's."  
  
"Like hell you were," Leia said calmly. "I was right. I do know you. And I don't like you any better then the Senator, either. Get out of here."  
  
"We just want to talk, Leia," Bail sail peacefully. Leia laughed, a harsh sound that echoed unpleasantly off the bleak white walls.  
  
"Lady Vader to you, Organa. And we've nothing to talk about. I'm leaving this Force-forsaken rock as soon as I'm able, and as soon as I get my powers back--"  
  
Leia's eyes suddenly went wide as she realized her mistake. She mentally slapped herself. *Stupid! Stupid! Look how weak these fools have made you! ...Ah, well. No matter. I'll soon be gone and they'll soon be dead. No harm done.*  
  
"You've lost your powers?" Mon Mothma tried to hide the grin on her face. Leia shrugged indifferently, standing to stretch. As she did, she flipped both the toggles on her lightsaber and twirled it experimentally.  
  
"Even if I have," she drawled lazily. "I'm still quite handy with this, and I suggest that if you want to keep your heads attached to your shoulders, you'll leave right now. I'm becoming vexed, and things happed when I get vexed. Very *bad* things."  
  
The two stared at Leia impassively for a moment. She took a step toward them, raising an eyebrow. Silently, Mon Mothma touched Bail's arm and led him back out into the corridor. As the door shut behind them, they could see Leia setting the lightsaber down and pinching herself harshly on both arms before returning to the bed. Mon Mothma sighed.  
  
"As long as she had lost her Force powers, we may have a chance to save her," she said hopefully.   
  
"I agree," Bail nodded. "And I think the best was to begin is by having Luke visit her as often as possible. He may--"  
  
"Senator Organa! Sir!"  
  
Bail and Mon Mothma looked up, surprised, as a young Rebel soldier sprinted up to them.  
  
"I'm sorry to interrupt, sir, ma'am," he said politely. "But we've done it! There is a weakness in the Death Star, and we've found it!"  
  
*****  
***** 


	5. Author's Note

*****  
*****  
Hey everyone. Just wanted to tell you all that I'm really sorry about the long wait. I haven't got an excuse, except that I'm a lazy ass bum, but I'm going to try to get the ending of this story up soon.   
  
Also I want everyone to know that I've made some changes in Chapter Three. I had some really cool ideas involving Leia's spontaneous name change, but I kept getting confused while writing the outline of Chapter Four, so I'm just going to change it. Sorry.  
  
Anyway, I hope to have Chapter Four up soon.  
  
****  
**** 


	6. Chapter Four

A/N: This chapter contains a lot of dialogue taken from A New Hope. It is NOT mine.  
  
  
  
  
Chapter Four  
  
  
Leia stepped silently out of her room. Her med droids had just left--she saw them blinking down the corridor going the opposite direction as the rest of the flow of traffic. She knew that if she was caught out of bed, she would probably be strapped to it, so she waited until the sound of voices got softer before she moved.   
  
She didn't know exactly where she was going, but if she kept the voices within earshot, she could follow them to the briefing room. She wasn't completely sure what was going on, but she knew it had something to do with the Death Star, and she'd burn before she'd let anything that might threaten the Empire's newest station. Especially since her father was on it.  
  
With absolute calm, as though she had every right to be there, Leia stepped into the briefing room and stood with her back against the wall. She waited.  
  
*****  
*****  
  
Grand Moff Tarkin stood with a decisively sour look painted on his pale face as he watched Stormtroopers scurry hurriedly about the station.Tarkin smirked slightly at them, rushing about as though they would take part in this mission even though they knew they wouldn't.  
  
He turned his face back toward the clear square in the wall. Below him orbited the small moon of Yavin.He sighed in anticipation, wanting nothing more than for this mission to be over with so he could rest a bit.  
  
He was getting too old for this kind of work.  
  
*****  
*****  
  
With outward calm, Leia watched the activity around her. No one even noticed her leaning against the wall,. away from the commotion of trying to find a friend to sit next to. Vaguely she noticed that Luke sat in the very front, dressed in the ugly orange and grey of Rebel fighters. She also noticed that Han Solo was also standing in the back, with a smirk on his face. Leia smiled. Good. She knew that Han was not likely to refuse her anything, and she had every intention of leaving this moon in his ship, with or without him in it.  
  
Suddenly everyone grew silent. Leia directed her attention toward the front of the room where Mon Mothma, Senator Organa, and some other human (Dodonna Something, or maybe it was Something Dodonna) stepped up. It was Dodonna who cleared his throat. Mon Mothma and Organa were there solely for looks.  
  
An electronic screen flicked on behind him. Its image fluttered for a moment, then stabilized. Leia noticed, even without her Force powers, that there was an excited, restless mood rising in the room. Her stomach suddenly tied itself into knots as a large picture of the Death Star appeared.   
  
"It's defenses are designed around a direct, large-scale assault," Dodonna said, not even bothering to tell everyone what they were there for. They knew.  
  
Someone stood, scowling thoughtfully at the picture and the man standing next to it. "Pardon me for asking, sir, but what good are snub fighters going to be against that?"  
  
Dodonna smiled tolerantly; Leia thought the smile made him look old and decrepit.   
  
"Well, the Empire doesn't consider a small one-man fighter to be any threat, or they'd have a tighter defense. An analysis of the plans provided by Senator Organa has demonstrated a weakness in the battle station."  
  
Artoo, who was parked next to the Senator, beeped and trilled. Leia sneered at the little droid and allowed herself a few immature thoughts on how good it would be to crush that hunk of junk into tiny metal cubes. Unbeknownst to her, Bail had noticed her and was now frowning at the look of pure hatred on the girl's face. He sighed and turned his attention back to Dodonna.  
  
"You are required to maneuver straight down this trench and skim the surface to this point," the man started, pointing to a trench in the surface of the suddenly magnified Death Star. "The target area is only two meters wide. It's a small thermal exhaust port, right below the main port. The shaft leads directly to the reactor system. A precise hit will start a chain reaction which should destroy the station. Only a precise hit will set up a chain reaction. The shaft is ray-shielded, so you'll have to use proton torpedoes."  
  
The only thing that covered Leia's cry of outrage was the cry of disbelief that rose from the pilots. Angrily, Leia crossed her arms in front of her and unconciously began to pinch herself harshly.  
  
"That's impossible, even for a computer!" one pilot cried out in despair, and Leia found herself cheering for this lone man. At least on of them could see it!  
  
"It's not impossible. I used to bull's-eye womp rats in my T-sixteen back home. They're not much bigger than two meters." Leia was not at all surprised to see that this new speaker was Luke Skywalker. She would enjoy killing him *much* more than she had enjoyed killing his family.  
  
Without waiting for any more protests, Dodonna raised his head and commanded "Man your ships!"  
  
Leia watched sourly as everyone scurried out of the room toward the hangar.  
  
*****  
*****  
  
Luke followed Biggs as they shot out of the hangar and into the greying sky of Yavin. Behind him, Artoo beeped excitedly as they broke into space and stars. And although Luke had expected it, had known it was there, and had prepared himself for its ugly presence, he was still shocked to see the Death Star looming before his squadron.  
  
Luke sighed, briefly wondering if Han would be there when he got back. He'd managed to convince the smuggler to stay, at least until the battle with the Death Star was over. After all, he'd said, if they lost, Han might be needed to help get people off the planet. Han wasn't happy, but a few threatening growls from Chewie had set him straight.  
  
*But then again* Luke reminded himself. *I may not come back.*  
  
Now that was something Leia would say, not him. But ... could it be true? He hadn't really thought about it. He'd just gotten into his X-Wing and taken off. But come to think of it, what chance did he really have? He was just a farm boy from an out of the way planet. He'd only been in one other fight, on the Death Star, and that was a whole other kind of fight. What made him think he'd be able to make it through this?  
  
*Luke, the Force will be with you.*  
  
Luke jumped, glancing around. What the...? With a frown, he tapped at his earpiece, but he knew that the voice hadn't come from it. In fact, Luke would have sworn that it was Old Ben Kenobi's voice he'd heard!  
  
*That's because it was.*  
  
The statement came unbidden to his head, but he shook it off, ignoring Artoo's concerned bleeps. There was no way he'd heard Ben's voice. Ben had died weeks ago on the Death Star. And that was all there was too it.  
  
"You ready, Luke?" Biggs asked, a smile in his voice.  
  
"You bet," Luke said instantly. He put all thoughts out of his head and focused on the Death Star. They would win this. They had to.  
  
*****  
*****  
  
Leia sidled up to Han silently, casually. For a moment, he didn't notice her: his eyes were riveted on a screen. There was a small red dot, the Death Star, making its way slowly but surely toward Yavin's moon. Leia smirked.  
  
"Stand-by alert," an intercom voice suddenly crackled to life, startling everyone. "Death Star approaching. Estimated time to firing range, fifteen minutes."  
  
A crazy thought skipped abruptly across Leia's mind: she might be on the next planet the Death Star attacked. She didn't even mind all that much either.  
  
*Now isn't that just the definition of irony?* she asked herself, giggling. Han looked down at her, frowning.  
  
"Something funny?" he asked sharply, which made Leia laugh even harder. "And shouldn't you be in bed?"  
  
She groaned. "Oh, I've been in bed *forever,*" she said flirtateously. "Maybe for once I wanted to come to you."  
  
Han's eyebrow raised a bit. "You know we're all about to die, right?"  
  
"Maybe..." she shrugged, fingering the sleeve of his shirt. "But we don't have to you know."  
  
"Oh? How do you mean?"  
  
"We could leave."  
  
Han didn't look convinced.  
  
"I'm serious," Leia went on. "You don't owe them anything."  
  
"I promised Luke..."  
  
Leia snorted in disgust. "You *certainly* don't owe him anything! And he's a fool if he thinks he's coming back--as are you if you believe him. So let's leave. You and me, right now."  
  
Han glanced over at Mon Mothma and Organa uncertainly. Then he looked down at Leia. *Sith, Solo, what choice is there? Stay here on this hunk of rock and die or accept a beautiful girl's offer? What kind of idiot even has to consider it?*  
  
He offered her his hand. "Well, Sweetheart, what are you waiting for? Let's go."  
  
Grinning triumphantly, Leia took his hand. She cast one last look at Bail Organa before disappearing around the bend.  
  
*I'll be seeing you again, Organa. You and that whiny kid. You can bet on it.*  
  
*****  
*****  
  
"All wings report in."  
  
The sound of Red Leader's voice in his ear started Luke back into reality. He'd been zoning out for a while, his eyes and mind focused on the Death Star hanging before him. Now the sound of voices grounded him where he should be.  
  
"Red Three standing by." Luke grinned at Biggs' voice. He sounded so professional, not at all like the kid Luke used to hang out with, who got his kicks out of putting dents in other people's droids.  
  
"Red Nine standing by."  
  
"Red Two standing by."  
  
"Red Eleven standing by."  
  
Luke sucked in a deep breath. "Red Five standing by."  
  
A feeling of elation passed through his body. He was in this for the long haul now, and nothing short of a herd of mad banthas was going to stop him from taking the Death Star down. This was his moment; he *knew* it.  
  
"Lock S-foils in attack position." Luke manuvered his X-Wing a bit, hitting the toggle that unfolded the wings and locked them into position. "We're passing through their magnetic field."  
  
There was a slight jolt as they did just that; from then until they hit the trench, it was smooth sailing. They glided slowly, cautiously toward the Death Star and once again, Luke was overcome by the sheer *enormity* of the thing. He couldn't even imagine what it had taken to build it.  
  
Again, Red Leader's voice cut into his thoughts. "Accelerate to attack speed. This is it, boys!"  
  
"Red Leader, this is Gold Leader."  
  
"I copy, Gold Leader."  
  
"We're starting for the target shaft now."  
  
Suddenly, the only sound Luke could hear was the thumping of his heart; surely the rest of his wing could hear it too! Thump-THUMP! Thump-THUMP!   
  
*This is it!*  
  
Luke jerked his X-Wing down in an extreme nosedive, beginning his own, personal attack on the Death Star. He resisted the urge to voice his terrified excitement with a howl.   
  
"This is Red Five! I'm going in!"  
  
Almost immeadiately, his fighter was engulfed in a ball of flame; Luke could feel its heat burning on his face. For a moment, he thought *This is the end; I'm dead.* but then the his world brightened and once again the Death Star loomed in front of him. He breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe he would make it after all.  
  
*****  
*****  
  
Leia and Han practically ran down the corridor toward the Millineum Falcom. The whole base was nearly deserted: anyone who was not engaged in battle in space was listening to it in the briefing room. They had an easy time getting by, although there was an occasion when Leia had almost used her lightsaber to dispatch a nosy droid.  
  
"Chewie!" Han yelled as they neared the Falcon. Chewie poked his head out of the ship, howling in confusion.  
  
"We're leaving," Han continued, pulling Leia up the ramp. "No arguments either! We've got things to do, buddy, and we can't do them by hanging around here!"  
  
And before Chewie could roar in protest, Leia shot him a glare that stopped him where he was. He meekly turned and followed Han into the cock-pit.  
  
Han didn't notice the look of alarm that crossed his first mate's furry face, nor the fact that his friend, who took orders from no one but Han, had been put into place by a seventeen year old girl.  
  
Ten minutes later, the Falcon shot out of the hangar and disappeared into the sky.  
  
*****  
*****  
  
Luke groaned as Red Leader's shot was declared a miss. He knew it wouldn't go in; they needed to be much closer in order to get a good shot!  
  
"Red Leader, we're right above you. Turn to point..." Luke said helplessly, trying to spot Red Leader. "..oh-five, we'll cover for you."  
  
"Stay there..." came Red Leader's voice in his ear. "I just lost my starboard engine. Get set to make your attack run."   
  
*****  
*****  
  
Vader pressed the firing buttons on his control sticks.  
  
"Rebel scum," he wheezed.  
  
*****  
*****  
  
Luke watched in horror as Red Leader's ship shuddered. His thoughts raced. *No no no no no!*  
  
Sudden laserbolts shot from one of the TIE fighters, connecting again with Red Leaders X-Wing. The last thing Luke heard before the ship was destroyed was Red Leader's scream of agony. Swallowing in an attempt to choke back a curse, he nodded his head once, decisively.  
  
"Biggs, Wedge, let's close it up. We're going in. We're going in full throttle."  
  
There was a moment of silence before Wedge began to move out. "Right with you, boss."  
  
The two peeled off, diving for the Death Star. Biggs cleared his throat and asked, "Luke, at that speed will you be able to pull out in time?"  
  
He didn't know. He didn't care. All he was worried about was destroying that monstrosity and everyone aboard it, thereby avenging not only Red Leader's death, but Obi-Wan Kenobi's as well. But he couldn't very well tell Biggs that. So he said the first idiotic thing that came to mind.  
  
"It'll be just like Beggar's Canyon back home."  
  
*****  
*****  
  
Mon Mothma unconciously reached out a hand to grip Bail's. The Senator looked up at his old friend, perhaps to try to comfort her. But when she looked at him, he saw something in her eyes that he knew she saw in his: fear.  
  
But before either one of them could acknowledge the feeling, either silently or verbally, Wedge's voice floated to their ears.  
  
"I'm hit! I can't stay with you!"  
  
"Get clear, Wedge," Luke ordered. Bail puffed with pride. Luke didn't sound the least bit frightened; maybe they did have a chance.   
  
*****  
*****  
  
Luke swerved left, avoiding yet another bolt coming his way. He was beginning to feel nervous.  
  
"Hurry, Luke," Biggs yelled at him "They're coming in much faster this time. I can't hold them!"  
  
*Don't worry, Biggs. I've got it.* Luke thought grimly, commanding Artoo to increase power. The TIE fighters were closing in.   
  
He looked into his targeting device. For a moment, he moved it away as a surprising thought entered his head: What if he tried it without the computer?  
  
"Hurry up!" Biggs yelled again. Luke looked over his shoulder to see the TIEs closing in on his friend. No, he couldn't take the chance of not using the computer. Not at Biggs' expense.   
  
Suddenly, there was an explosion. Luke turned to see Biggs' X-Wing on fire. Oh, gods, no! Biggs' ship suddenly broke apart, litterally shattering into pieces.   
  
Biggs' dying scream echoed in Luke's head, bringing tears pricking to his eyes.   
  
"No," he growled softly. He was *not* going to let it end like this! These deaths would not go unavenged! Not a single one of them. Grimly, Luke looked back into his targeting device as the leader of the TIEs focused in on him. He carefully lined up the yellow cross-hair lines on the screen preparing to fire.  
  
*Use the Force, Luke.*  
  
Luke's head jerked up. Ben again? What was going on? He shook his head and stared back into his targeting device. No time. No time to worry. He had a battle station to destroy.  
  
*Let go, Luke.*  
  
Again, Luke looked up. The voice sounded so real! Could it be...? Maybe. He didn't know, but he didn't have enough time to dwell on it. Too many lives were at stake. He looked again into his targeting device.  
  
*Luke, trust me.*  
  
"Now that's a low blow," he muttered softly as he reached over to flip the switch that sent the targeting screen away from his face. "This had better work."  
  
"Luke, you switched off your targeting computer," Bail's voice came over his headset. "What's wrong?"  
  
Luke let out a long sigh. "Nothing. I'm all right."  
  
A sudden wail from behind him caused Luke to glance around. Artoo was now just a hunk of metal attached to his ship for the ride. Great.  
  
"I lost Artoo!"  
  
*****  
*****  
  
Tarkin looked down at the moon with contempt.  
  
"Rebel base in range," the intercom voice said.  
  
"You may fire when ready," was his terse reply.  
  
"Commence primary ignition."  
  
*****  
*****  
  
Luke growled at the three TIEs that never once broke formation behind him. He took a deep breath and tried to calm the shaking in his hands.  
  
One of the TIEs took aim, unleasing a volley of fire. Luke closed his eyes and waited for the fire to consume him.  
  
But then one of the TIEs exploded into flame! Luke looked frantically about. What...?  
  
And then he saw it: the Millineum Falcon! Luke broke into an ecstatic grin as the Falcon headed right toward the two remaining fighters in a collision course. Briefly, Luke thought of the games of Terror he and Biggs used to have in their speeders, coming at eachother full speed until one of them was forced to swerve away. That was exactly what Han was doing now: daring the TIEs to move or be hit!  
  
And that's exactly what one of them did. The TIE, panicked by Han's pirateship flying at them, swerved frantically. It knocked the other TIE's side, sending in careening into space with a damaged wing. The other TIE crashed into the side of the trench and exploded.  
  
"You're all clear, kid," Han said over the headset. "Blow the thing so you can go home!"  
  
"Aren't you going back?" Luke, no longer in danger, was momentarily distracted.   
  
"Nah," Han said casually. "I've got some things to take care of. But when that's done, who knows?"  
  
Luke smiled. "All right Han. I'll see you soon."  
  
"Yeah kid."  
  
The Millineum Falcon pulled away, then shot into hyperspace. For a moment, Luke frowned and another voice from the Falcon hit his ears: Leia! Han had taken Leia with him!  
  
"Luke!" Bail shouted over the intercom. "The exhaust port!"  
  
Oh! Right. The exhaust port. He'd forgotten for a moment what he was supposed to do. It was just that Leia's voice had startled him so, and he couldn't figure out why she'd sounded so outraged.  
  
But that was neither here nor there. With a smile, Luke concentrated and fired his torpedoes. He thought briefly that he'd missed: the shots seemed to disappear. Then, with a certainty that Luke guessed came from the Force, he knew he had not missed and that the torpedoes were rocketing their way toward the reactor. He pulled out of the trench and hightailed it back toward the base.  
  
*****  
*****  
  
Inside the Death Star, a soldier ran to the controls and pulled the attack lever.   
  
"Stand by to attack Rebel base."  
  
A satisfied smile crept over Tarkin's face. Finally, the Rebel Alliance would be destroyed and he could *get some rest!*  
  
Suddenly, the station shook. Tarkin stumbled, a look of realization dawning on his wrinkled face.  
  
"Oh, fu--" he started.  
  
The Death Star blew.  
  
*****  
*****  
  
Bail waited patiently as Mon Mothma placed a medal around Luke's neck. The boy looked delirously happy, and honestly, Bail couldn't blame him. He knew how much the kid had wanted to prove himself.  
  
Mon Mothma smiled brightly and stepped back until she was standing next to Bail.  
  
"Any sign of her?" she whispered.  
  
"No," Bail sighed. "Presumably, Leia left with Captain Solo."  
  
The conversation stopped; there was nothing more to say.   
  
Luke turned to face the assembly. Everyone bowed slightly to Luke before errupting into applause.  
*****  
*****  
  
THE END  
  
No, not really. Stay tuned for Part 2. 


	7. Author's Note 2

To all my loyal readers :),  
  
I just wanted to let you all know that I haven't given up on Lady Vader, but I have decided not to post it in chapters  
anymore. I get to feeling rushed and then the chapter just turns into a complete flop. So I'm just going to finish the story  
then post the whole thing. This might take longer than you would like, but it's almost gauranteed to be better than the first  
part. Sorry if I've disappointed you. Hopefully the ending will make up for that. 


End file.
